Best CMS: The top content management systems of 2016

A well-developed online presence is a key piece of the business puzzle

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Running a business isn’t an easy process. There are so many things you need to get right in order to succeed, from managing financial accounts to complying with complex laws and regulations.

Digital marketing is arguably one of the most important areas, although it’s often neglected. The thing is, if your presence and brand isn’t felt online, then you’re going to struggle in today’s ruthless business world.

Content plays a major role in this journey. With the written word and media, you have a potential way to become a key influencer in your industry, and to connect with your customers on top of offering them quality products.

However, to maximise this potential, you need a reliable content management system (CMS). You’ll find plenty of them out there, and they allow you to create and manage your own content, website and blogs easily. In this article, we’ll highlight the best systems, all of which cater for different needs and budgets.

WordPress

If there’s one CMS most people have heard of, it’s WordPress. The platform was launched in 2003 and has become a major part of the internet since. Based on PHP and MySQL, it provides you with tools to create a feature-packed website or blog using written content, videos, images and more.

You also have the ability to install a mixture of pre-made and third-party themes to personalise your website. They cater for all sorts of industries, from retail to hospitality. Although you can download the software for free from Wordpress.org and install it on your server, there’s also the option to get a domain and hosting with WordPress.

The business plan costs about £20 a month (around $25, AU$32) and gives you full access to the theme store, unlimited storage space and a custom domain. That’s not a bad investment if you want to create a website and maintain it going forward.

Squarespace

Squarespace is another popular CMS platform, and it started out at around the same time as WordPress. The main difference is that it isn’t open-source – so you can’t download the software and install it on your own server.

Instead, it’s an integrated website builder, blogging platform and hosting service. The premise is that you sign up for a subscription and Squarespace makes it easy to build a website from scratch, which is obviously handy if you don’t have any previous web development experience, or if you need to get a site up and running in a short space of time. Like WordPress, you can install different themes and build a website using text, images and videos.

There’s also a commerce platform available. It lets you build and manage your own online store, without having to pay a hefty sum for a tech pro to do it for you. Again, there’s the option to go for a business-ready package. For $12 per month (around £10, AU$15) you get your own domain, unlimited bandwidth and storage, SSL security and Google AdWords credit.

Magnolia CMS

One of the main attractions of content management systems is that they’re often easy to set up and use. If you’re running a business, you’ll want to have a website to promote your products and services, but you may not have the technical know-how to build one yourself.

Java-based Magnolia CMS is targeted specifically at companies that need websites which can do pretty much everything. It sports a hub integrating areas such as e-commerce, analytics, marketing automation, social media, CRM and ERP. The beauty here is that you can add these functions as time goes on and your business develops.

Security is at the heart of the system, too, as it employs an architecture that separates your website’s public and private elements to help combat attacks. You can even define what users and admins are able to do, so you’ll always know who can write, edit, view and publish certain content. Prices are tailored to business needs.

Weebly

Similar to WordPress, Weebly is a name you’re likely to be familiar with. It’s an easy-to-use content management system that lets you set up a simple website within a matter of minutes. The platform uses a drag-and-drop format, so you can add features and media to your website easily. And by the same token, you can swiftly remove anything whenever you want.

There are a load of pricing options to choose from, all based on different business and personal needs. The cheapest plan is £5 a month (around $6, AU$8), which provides you with unlimited storage, a domain name and Google Ads credit. There is a small business option, and that’ll set you back £17 a month (around $21, AU$27). For that, you get all the usual features, as well as handy tools like password protection and tax calculators.

Wix.com

Wix is a cloud-based web development platform which lets you create HTML5 and mobile-optimised websites easily.

The platform offers a drag-and-drop system, and you can add more functionality by installing plugins. Wix caters for elements including email marketing, e-commerce, contact forms and community forums. As is normal for CMS platforms, you have the option to remove adverts, use your own domain name and get increased bandwidth by going for a premium plan.

Prices start at £2.55 a month (around $3, AU$4), although if you’re a small business, the company recommends that you go for the £5.05 (around $6, AU$8) option. For that, you benefit from 10GB of bandwidth, 20GB of storage, a free domain, a custom favicon, an online store builder and ad vouchers.

Bynder

Content management systems are great for publishing content online, obviously enough, but they’re also gold dust when it comes to collaborating on content across teams. Bynder is a marketing platform that lets brands create, find, use and work on content easily.

It provides a plethora of high-quality workflows to help brand managers, marketers and editors produce, approve and circulate new marketing content. There’s also the ability to create a shareable style guide so all content is consistent and matches the company’s brand image.

While it sports some handy features, Bynder is a lot more expensive than other offerings. The cheapest plan costs $450 per month (around £370, AU$590), and prices can reach thousands. That said, the software is designed to take a good deal of strain off your marketing budget by simplifying many mundane and time-consuming tasks.